An Early Morning
by Narina Nightfall
Summary: Where is Aragorn? Legolas goes looking for the missing ranger.


An Early Morning

By: Narina Nightfall

Disclaimer: Urg…Give the characters to me. They're mine! *gag is put over author's mouth, strangled sounds are heard* *gag is removed* *repentant look is plastered all over author's face* They're not mine. They never will be mine. The next time I try to grab them, I'll probably end up in Mordor as a stinking slave. Which gives good incentive to be sneakier next time.*looks around cautiously*

A/N: This is my second LotR fic. I hope you like it. Reviews will be perfumed, polished, and read constantly. Flames will be used to fuel my computer. J

          Legolas stretched. It was a beautiful, new day on Arda, and he was going hunting. How much better could it get? Granted, he would probably get hurt in at least ten different ways, and then have to drag the sons of Elrond back to Imladris with him...but he preferred not to think about that.

          He quickly dressed in hunting clothes and braided his hair. Instead of using the  traditional warrior braids of Mirkwood, he decided to braid his hair in a more complex Noldorian style. Later, he would ask himself darkly if that was what had started the trouble…

          When he was ready, he went down to the dining hall. A few other elves were there, including Elladan and Elrohir. As the House had not yet awoken, there was a buffet of sorts for those who wished to eat so early in the day. Legolas grabbed a glass of juice and several muffins and then wended his way towards the high table where the twins sat. When he reached them he sat down to the left of them in an unoccupied seat, which, when its rightful owner was awake and able to defend his right to his chair, happened to be Lord Erestor's seat.

          The twins looked up from what looked like a sketch of a horse with two horns, extremely short legs, and an enormous backside. When they saw who it was, the drawing was quickly covered and hidden out of site.

          "What are you two up to? Planning another kitchen raid?" asked Legolas as he pealed the thin layer of paper off one of his larger muffins.

          Elladan looked around suspiciously, then lowered his voice so only his brother and Legolas would be able to hear him. "We're trying to get back at Erestor for the banana 'accident'. We're brainstorming."

          Legolas listened intently as they explained their newest scheme to him. They really know how to get revenge on those who anger them, he thought with a small reminder to himself never to get too far to the top on the twins' 'get even' list.  Their ingenuity in the area of payback would have him jumping at shadows for the next week.

          He finished eating and bid the twins farewell until they left on their hunt. Only then did he notice that he hadn't seen Estel all morning. He's probably at the armory, slobbering all over _Tincheru_'s newest creation, he thought with a grin.

          The elf headed in the direction of the armory, unknowingly walking straight into a trap…

~`~`~`~

          Glorfindel cackled evilly. He had a perfect plan. It was foolproof in fact. He frowned. In his case, it would have to be, he thought. But even that discouraging thought could not get rid of his good spirits. He had the perfect plan, his hair was no longer brown (nasty color, he thought with a grimace), and someone would pay for his bad mood yesterday. A very specific someone…

          Glorfindel perked up as he heard footsteps. His victim must be coming, he thought with excitement. He readied his secret weapon and as a small, brown haired figure passed beneath his post, he released. The next few seconds were a big blur as he watched something impossible happen. The elf he had been aiming for, Erestor, was replaced by a familiar, blond haired elf whose face was now covered in bright, pink paint. A laughing Erestor was rolling on the ground nearby.

          Glorfindel climbed down swiftly from the tree he had been aiming from. He took his slingshot with him. He thought with dread that he might need it in the case of Legolas. The elf tended to be rather short with him. Elrond had told Glorfindel it was because of the prince's rather unpleasant visit at the age of one hundred, but Glorfindel could not see how that one incident had made the prince so biased. Honestly, it was only a _little_ canyon. He really did not see what all the fuss had been about. In any case, he approached the soaking prince with trepidation.

          "Glorfindel," said the colorful prince in a rather flat tone of voice.

          "Prince Legolas," acknowledged Glorfindel quietly.

          And to his surprise, the prince of Mirkwood started laughing loudly along with Erestor. Glorfindel could not believe his eyes. The prince thought this was funny. If he had been the target, thought Glorfindel darkly, he would have made the one that had done the shooting miserable for the next yèn or two, and then, he would make the culprit take the twins on a very long journey, all by himself. 

          The prince slowly stopped laughing at whatever he had found so funny. "Do…you know…where…Estel is?" asked the winded prince. "I have looked in the armory, the library, the stables, and all other places I could think of, but we must leave soon on our hunting trip, and I need to find him."

          Glorfindel sent Legolas another unsure look and replied, "Have you checked in his room?"

          Legolas looked surprised. "Why no, I haven't," he said, but then looked confused. "But why would he still be in his room?"

          "No one ever knows what Estel will do," pronounced Glorfindel darkly. He helped Erestor to his feet. "Best of luck in finding the scallywag, highness."

_Tincheru_-lord of metal (cheesy, huh? And then I'm not even sure its right!)

Not an excellent ending, but oh well. That's what chapters are for!

Reviews are desperately appreciated. I'm a horribly slow writer, so I need reviews to help boost update time. So, please let me know what you think. And helpful criticism, if you see things that need improvement, is always welcome.

Oh, and the ~`~`~ thing is because ffnet always makes my spaces into a big nothing. So, we do it this way. 


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